Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

"Lord Malveaux...."
Jan smirks quietly as she hovers a plate of steaming blue food under the apparently sleeping sith lord's nose
"I have Arkanian waffles and a pot of vanta ultra black coffee...."
More plate circling while her pinching hand hovers menacingly.....carrot and stick!

Lucinia was not always a heavy sleeper. On the other hand, last night had left her rather exhausted.

"Mmmm..." Lucinia's eyes fluttered, but didn't quite open. "Smells good..." She shifted a little under the sheet, but seemed only to stretch before settling down comfortably once more.

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:Lucinia was not always a heavy sleeper. On the other hand, last night had left her rather exhausted.

"Mmmm..." Lucinia's eyes fluttered, but didn't quite open. "Smells good..." She shifted a little under the sheet, but seemed only to stretch before settling down comfortably once more.

"It will go cold, and you have enough trouble with temperature enough as it is."
The plate does another pass before....pinching hand deployed! A sensitive spot is the target.

"Not that I wouldn't mind watching you all day though."

The promise of food and kaf, combined with a pinching hand, worked. Extra credit to the pinching hand.

Lucinia yelped, sitting up suddenly. One hand came up, catching Jan's. The white sheet remained wrapped around her figure... although really, with how pale Lucinia was, it was sometimes hard to tell. Especially since both the sheet and her had smudges of blue.

After a moment, Lucinia's lips curled up, even as her green eyes glinted. "Pinching me, are you? Hmph." Her gaze flickered to the enticing plate. "Although with an offering like that, I think I can forgive you..."

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:The promise of food and kaf, combined with a pinching hand, worked. Extra credit to the pinching hand.

Lucinia yelped, sitting up suddenly. One hand came up, catching Jan's. The white sheet remained wrapped around her figure... although really, with how pale Lucinia was, it was sometimes hard to tell. Especially since both the sheet and her had smudges of blue.

After a moment, Lucinia's lips curled up, even as her green eyes glinted. "Pinching me, are you? Hmph." Her gaze flickered to the enticing plate. "Although with an offering like that, I think I can forgive you..."

"I think it was somebody else....clearly they wanted to take the food for themselves so I drove them off. This offering makes it clear I'm the true hero."
She makes her eyes big and nods seriously.

"I like you in splotches of blue by the way."
Still innocent, clearly that pinching hand was a rogue villain somewhere!

"Is that so? Hmmm..." Lucinia's lips quirked. "Well then, I must thank you for chasing them off as well as for feeding me. That is for me, isn't it?"

Lucinia smiled, her cheeks coloring and her gaze shifting briefly away before she looked back to Jan. "Thank you. I rather liked you in green." She sighed. "Still, we can't stay in bed like this all day, can we?"

A shadow seemed to pass over her aristocratic features at that.

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:"Is that so? Hmmm..." Lucinia's lips quirked. "Well then, I must thank you for chasing them off as well as for feeding me. That is for me, isn't it?"

Lucinia smiled, her cheeks coloring and her gaze shifting briefly away before she looked back to Jan. "Thank you. I rather liked you in green." She sighed. "Still, we can't stay in bed like this all day, can we?"

A shadow seemed to pass over her aristocratic features at that.

"Of course it's for you dear...I don't get waffles for just anybody....and contractually I'm supposed to only eat Czerka brand breakfast foods..."

An eyebrow flickers slightly at the question and the change of expression. But for now she doesn't push it....she's already pushed the food.

"Mmm, how lovely. Thank you, my dear." Lucinia reached out, giving Jan's hand a little squeeze.

"Shall we move to the table, then? Or should we do breakfast in bed? Wouldn't that be something." Lucinia tilted her head. "And have you already eaten?"

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:"Mmm, how lovely. Thank you, my dear." Lucinia reached out, giving Jan's hand a little squeeze.

"Shall we move to the table, then? Or should we do breakfast in bed? Wouldn't that be something." Lucinia tilted her head. "And have you already eaten?"

"Breakfast in bed, of course, it is still the ultimate luxury."
She reaches down and unfolds a rather elegant golden tray and starts arranging the food and drink.
"Yeah I...went out and got something, didn't want to wake you, you were uh...meditating very deeply...and also drooling a little."

"Drooling? Hmph!" Lucinia's chin tilted up proudly. "A Malveaux does not drool." After holding the pose for a moment, Lucinia smirked. "Well, not often, anyway."

Reaching out, Lucinia took the mug of kaf. She took a long sip, then sighed. "My word. What a way to wake up. Thank you, my dear."

She hesitated, giving Jan a curious look. "Jan..." She pressed her lips together. "There's something that I very much need to ask you."

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:"Drooling? Hmph!" Lucinia's chin tilted up proudly. "A Malveaux does not drool." After holding the pose for a moment, Lucinia smirked. "Well, not often, anyway."

Reaching out, Lucinia took the mug of kaf. She took a long sip, then sighed. "My word. What a way to wake up. Thank you, my dear."

She hesitated, giving Jan a curious look. "Jan..." She pressed her lips together. "There's something that I very much need to ask you."

"Well.....that's an intimidating phrase...although given you accepted the kaf it's probably not "can you fly?" followed by me going out the window."
She squares her bony shoulders and settles herself next to the Sith who definitely did not drool often.

"Shoot."

Lucinia smiled at the joke, but only for a moment. Her forehead was creased with concern.

"This is not a question a Sith often asks, because the answer we receive is so often no. But... sometimes the answer is different, for a special few." Lucinia turned the cup in her hand, not quite drinking from it. "I... begin to think that perhaps you are one who might answer differently."

She turned to look at Jan, her expression serious. "Jan... can I trust you? I mean, really trust you?"

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:Lucinia smiled at the joke, but only for a moment. Her forehead was creased with concern.

"This is not a question a Sith often asks, because the answer we receive is so often no. But... sometimes the answer is different, for a special few." Lucinia turned the cup in her hand, not quite drinking from it. "I... begin to think that perhaps you are one who might answer differently."

She turned to look at Jan, her expression serious. "Jan... can I trust you? I mean, really trust you?"

Blink blink. That was a big question.

"Trust trust....like the sort of trust where I'd actually feel guilt about not living up to it?"
she exhales loudly, pushing out her cheeks.

"I mean clearly I'm untrustworthy, I'm probably as untrustworthy as you get. Self-interested, mercenary, corporate, long-legged, pretty much a complete package of deviousness. I don't think anyone ever trust trusts me, not anymore at least."

She turns away slightly, rubbing the back of her head.

"I certainly would never tell anyone to....but.... Gah!"
She rubs it a bit more vigorously

"........And you'd only be asking me that if it was important...so guilt if I do or guilt if I don't. Frak, frak frak........Okay, okay....okay."

Deep breath

"For what it's worth....which isn't much despite my net worth...."
She turns back and meets Lucinia's eyes for a moment before winking.
"You can trust me, really."

Lucinia waited patiently as Jan worked through it. Her green eyes were perhaps just a trifle wider than usual.

When Jan finished, those green eyes closed entirely. For a few moment, Lucinia was silent. Then, slowly, her eyes opened.

"Jan..." Lucinia said, her voice soft. "Thank you." She smiled. "As I said, a Sith rarely asks the question. And it is rarer still to receive the answer you game." The smile grew. "But as I said, I had a feeling. If there wasn't trust, how could operation Just Beachy have been such a success?"

Her smile faded. Lucinia reached out, taking Jan's hand, fortunately slightly warmed from the caf. By the way she squeezed, it was clear that she was more than a little concerned.

"I ask because, as it turns out, I seem to have become involved in, ah..." Lucinia swallowed, "-a little... light treason."

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:Lucinia waited patiently as Jan worked through it. Her green eyes were perhaps just a trifle wider than usual.

When Jan finished, those green eyes closed entirely. For a few moment, Lucinia was silent. Then, slowly, her eyes opened.

"Jan..." Lucinia said, her voice soft. "Thank you." She smiled. "As I said, a Sith rarely asks the question. And it is rarer still to receive the answer you game." The smile grew. "But as I said, I had a feeling. If there wasn't trust, how could operation Just Beachy have been such a success?"

Her smile faded. Lucinia reached out, taking Jan's hand, fortunately slightly warmed from the caf. By the way she squeezed, it was clear that she was more than a little concerned.

"I ask because, as it turns out, I seem to have become involved in, ah..." Lucinia swallowed, "-a little... light treason."

"Oh....."
She squeezes her hand back and relaxes visibly
"Well that's a relief! You had me all worried! Who's speeder are we taking?"

Lucinia blinked.

After a moment, she laughed, not her haughty laughter, but real, honest laughter. She leaned against Jan, her bare shoulders shaking. It went on for rather a long time.

Finally, the laughter settled. "Oh, my dear. Thank you. For everything." She looked up, a fond smile on her lips. One might even say warm, but it was probably a stretch to apply that word to Lucinia ever.

Lucinia sat back, some of the tension gone from her features, but not all. "It was revealed to me yesterday that the Emperor intends to..." her lips pursed, "-devour us. With some sort of ritual." She took a deep breath. "There are some others who intend to stop him." Her lips quirked. "I did not intend to fall in with them, but I have. And it is for the best, really; I am the master of my own fate."

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:Lucinia blinked.

After a moment, she laughed, not her haughty laughter, but real, honest laughter. She leaned against Jan, her bare shoulders shaking. It went on for rather a long time.

Finally, the laughter settled. "Oh, my dear. Thank you. For everything." She looked up, a fond smile on her lips. One might even say warm, but it was probably a stretch to apply that word to Lucinia ever.

Lucinia sat back, some of the tension gone from her features, but not all. "It was revealed to me yesterday that the Emperor intends to..." her lips pursed, "-devour us. With some sort of ritual." She took a deep breath. "There are some others who intend to stop him." Her lips quirked. "I did not intend to fall in with them, but I have. And it is for the best, really; I am the master of my own fate."

"....Well that's at least medium treason."
She lays a hand on Lucinia's shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze

"But I like not being eaten, and I like you being alive, so I really do have some good reason to be there. I'll be in overwatch. Anyone looks at you funny and....."
She lines up her finger guns

"But no doing anything stupid, if you call him out for a 1v1 brawl I'm gonna have a really hard time helping out."

"Ooh." Lucinia's lips curled up. "I do like the sound of that. It's not often that someone's declared that they'd shoot someone on my behalf. You do know how to charm a Sith."

Lucinia reached up, squeezing Jan's hand as it squeezed her shoulder. "I have reason to think that it's going to be a rather fraught time. Please, do your best to stay safe." She smiled gently. "I like you being alive too."

Lucinia Malveaux wrote:"Ooh." Lucinia's lips curled up. "I do like the sound of that. It's not often that someone's declared that they'd shoot someone on my behalf. You do know how to charm a Sith."

Lucinia reached up, squeezing Jan's hand as it squeezed her shoulder. "I have reason to think that it's going to be a rather fraught time. Please, do your best to stay safe." She smiled gently. "I like you being alive too."

"I'll be nearly a mile away, what could go wrong? It's not like I'm gonna be struck by lightning."
Smirking
"Not when I know how to harm a sith. With any luck we can both sit back tonight and laugh about this....if not I know some people who are really quite good at not being found."

"Mmm." Lucinia smiled faintly. She was silent for a few moments, quietly sipping her caf. As usual, she took very small sips.

Sighing softly, Lucinia lowered the mug. "If things don't go well..." she pursed her lips, "-most Sith do not hide so well. And a Malveaux especially."

Glancing at Jan, she mustered a small smile. "Perhaps we will be laughing over it tonight. And the only thing we'll have to worry about is what color of drink."